SUMMARY (see details about each firm below.)

• BookLocker: Only $975!!!

• iUniverse: $2,378
• AuthorHouse: $2,408
• Archway Publishing: $2,699
• Trafford: $2,977
• Bookbaby: $3,000
• Balboa Press: $3,248
• Outskirts Press: $3,595
• Xlibris: $3,706
• Wheatmark: $5,000
• Westbow Press: $5,999
• Spark Press: $10,000
• Mill City Press: OUT OF BUSINESS
• Xulon Press: OUT OF BUSINESS

PUBLISHERS THAT REFER AUTHORS TO EXPENSIVE THIRD PARTIES:

• Amazon KDP/CreateSpace: Does not offer formatting/design/editing services to authors, and is now terminating authors’ accounts, and keeping their unpaid royalties. Read NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about Amazon KDP HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. There are MANY more complaints posted online as well. See more information about Amazon KDP toward the end of this post. 
• Draft2Digital: For human design services, refers authors to a third-party service that costs $2,999. See many links to COMPLAINTS about Draft2Digital HERE, HERE, and HERE.
• Ingram Spark: Does not offer formatting/design services, and refers authors to a variety of third-party services that cost thousands of dollars. Numerous complaints about Ingram Spark are HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
• Lulu.com: Refers authors to companies like Bublish and BookLaunchers, which charge upwards of $9,000. Read NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about Lulu HERE, HERE,, HERE, HERE, HERE. HERE, and HERE.

NOTE: All publishers listed offer distribution through Ingram (the world’s largest book distributor), as well as inclusion of their titles in the major online (Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc.) and physical bookstore systems. However, some of these publishers, like Amazon KDP, may limit where they sell ebooks, and some may charge large fees for “full distribution,” which is ridiculous.

Prices below include:

• Personal (human!) print design and publication services, as well as distribution, and basic ebook formatting and distribution.
• The cost of production files for those publishers who offer that, but many do not. (BookLocker DOES NOT CHARGE EXTRA for production files! BookLocker authors own all rights to their manuscripts AND their production files.) Some publishers don’t give or even sell production files to authors when those authors leave their service, even if the author has paid them thousands to produce those files. We call this a forced marriage and it’s a ridiculous and extremely greedy practice! BookLocker.com gives production files to authors on request at no extra charge.

BUT, WHAT ABOUT EDITING?

Editing costs are excluded from the numbers above and below. Those usually require a quote. WARNING: MANY PUBLISHERS WHO OFFER EDITING SERVICES claim ownership of that edited file! You can find affordable, vetted freelance editors who won’t claim any rights to your edited manuscript RIGHT HERE.

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WARNING ABOUT SMALL OR NEW PUBLISHERS:

Each year, more of these types of companies open. And, many close, leaving their authors in a lurch. Imagine paying a company thousands of dollars, and the discovering your book is no longer available. That is what happened to thousands of Infinity Publishing/Fast Pencil authors last year. Many other companies went belly up as well.

Authors should only sign up with a company that has been in business for many years. BookLocker has been in business for 27 years, has an excellent reputation, and IS located in the U.S.

Don’t miss this post:

EXTREME WARNING ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SCAMMERS TARGETING U.S. AUTHORS!

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THE 2026 LIST!

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BookLocker: Only $975!!!

IMPORTANT: WritersWeekly subscribers get a $150 discount off the At Your Service, Professional Author, or The Works Publishing Programs. When you sign up at BookLocker RIGHT HERE, use this discount code: WritersWeeklyReader

• BookLocker has been serving authors for 27 years, and has an EXCELLENT REPUTATION.
• Better Business Bureau Rating: A+. Read the reviews RIGHT HERE.
• This is the fastest publisher on this page! BookLocker gets black-and-white-interior books on the market in only a month (sometimes faster) at no extra charge.
• BookLocker is rated “Outstanding” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
• BookLocker is also recommended by attorney James M. Walsh, who works directly with WritersWeekly to expose scammers in the industry.
• BookLocker is recommended by the Alliance of Independent Authors. Other ranked publishers on this page have “caution” ratings…or worse. 
• Read numerous unsolicited testimonials from numerous BookLocker authors HERE.
• BookLocker Offers an expedited 2-week package for an additional fee.
• Print book distribution through Ingram, the world’s largest book distributor. Availability in thousands of bookstore systems worldwide, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target.com, Walmart.com, BooksaMillion, Chapters/Indigo, and many, many more. Customer can order BookLocker authors’ books from their local bookstore. 
• Ebook formatting/conversion/distribution on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo (Canada’s popular ebook retailer), Overdrive (which sells ebooks to more than 40K libraries and schools in 70 countries), and Google Play, which has better ebook distribution than Amazon!
• Returning authors get a hefty discount on their second and subsequent book projects.
• No extra charge for production files, of course. If you paid for it, you should own it! 
• The 2-week rush publishing service is an additional $350 (which, when combined with the regular fee, is still less than all of the other firms listed here charge for publication in several weeks to several months).
• BookLocker offers a paperback/hardcover/ebook combo as well. Read more HERE.
• According to The Independent Publishing Magazine, “Overall, BookLocker offers a very particular kind of POD publishing service, honest, upfront, a quality product, but no unnecessary frills. Their personalized approach and focus on book sales is worth all the value alone.”
• According to Attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: “As close to perfection as you’re going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I’ve ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and has put together a package that is the best in the business. You can’t go wrong here. Plus, they’re selective and won’t publish any manuscript just because it’s accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors’ books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know.”

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iUniverse: $2,378.00

ALERT! This is an Author Solutions company.

At the Better Business Bureau:

• Author Solutions’ customer rating is only 1.52 OUT OF 5 STARS.
• And, there have been HUNDREDS of complaints and 1-star reviews over the years.

Victoria Strauss writes: “I generally advise authors to avoid the Author Solutions self-publishing services (iUniverse, Xlibris, Trafford, AuthorHouse, BookTango, and the self-pub services Author Solutions runs for major publishers, including Thomas Nelson’s WestBow Press and Hay House’s Balboa Press), since I’ve received many complaints about quality, price, and high-pressure sales tactics.”

NOTE: IUniverse is owned by Author Solutions, which also owns AuthorHouse, Xlibris, Trafford, Balboa, Westbow Press (all featured here), WordClay, Palibrio, Booktango, and others, and is also in partnership with Archway Publishing (featured below), LifeRich Publishing, GABAL, Partridge, and Alliant Press. Two class-action lawsuits have been filed against Author Solutions in the past. SelfPublishing.com gives AuthorSolutions 1 out of 5 stars.

Read NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about Author Solutions HERE, and HERE, and the comments under THIS ARTICLE (WOW!!). There are MANY more complaints about AuthorSolutions online as well.

One author was so upset with an Author Solutions company that she wrote a book about it.

Read numerous complaints about iUniverse HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has issued a “watchdog advisory” about iUniverse.

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AuthorHouse: $2,408.00

ALERT! This is another Author Solutions company!! Read more in the iUniverse listing above. 

Read NUMEROUS complaints about AuthorHouse HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has issued a “watchdog advisory” about AuthorHouse.

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Archway Publishing: $2,699.00

ALERT! This is another Author Solutions company!! Read more in the iUniverse listing above. 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has issued a “watchdog advisory” about Westbow Press.

There are several links to complaints about Archway Publishing HERE  and HERE.

Nineteen percent of the reviews for Archway Publishing on TrustPilot give them 1 star.

The Alliance of Independent Authors issued a WARNING about Archway Publishing.

SelfPublishing.com gives Archway Publishing only 1.5 out of 5 stars.

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Trafford Publishing: $2,977.00

ALERT! This is another Author Solutions company!! Read more in the iUniverse listing above. 

Trafford is rated a “Publisher to Avoid” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.

See several complaints about Trafford HERE and HERE. There are more online as well.

The Alliance of Independent Authors issued a “watchdog advisory” about Trafford.

SelfPublishing.com gives Trafford 0 (yes zero) out of 5 stars. “Given the disgraceful reputation and one of the most disliked vanity publishers in the business under the umbrella of Author Solutions, 0 is the deserved score. It’s a score Trafford has worked hard to earn with its years of scamming bustling authors, and we believe in being fair.”

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Bookbaby: $3,000

• Better Business Bureau Rating: B-

There are numerous complaints about Bookbaby HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

BookBaby removed their publishing package pricing from their website. Never, EVER use a company that doesn’t publicly display their prices! You should not have to give a company your contact information just to find out how much they charge. We obtained the price above from a negative review posted about them online.

Also, see: 9 Reasons NOT to Use BookBaby to Publish Your Book

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Balboa Press Publishing: $3,248.00 

ALERT! This is another Author Solutions company!! Read more in the iUniverse listing above. 

Read NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about Balboa Press HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

SelfPublishing.com gives Balboa Press only 2 out of 5 stars.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has issued a “watchdog advisory” about Balboa Press.

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Outskirts Press: $3,595.00

There are NUMEROUS complaints about Outskirts Press HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE. and HERE.

Author Michael Marcus wrote a book about Outskirts Press called: Stupid, Sloppy, Sleazy: The Strange Story of Vanity Publisher Outskirts Press. How Do They Stay in Business? You can see that HERE.

Outskirts Press was issued a “caution” rating by the Alliance of Independent Authors.

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Xlibris: $3,706.00

ALERT! This is another Author Solutions company!! Read more in the iUniverse listing above. 

See NUMEROUS complaints about Xlibris HERE and HERE, and HERE, and HERE.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has issued a “watchdog advisory” about Xlibris.

SelfPublishing.com only gives Xlibris only 1.5 out of 5 stars.

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Wheatmark / Wheatmark, Inc.: $4,000 to $6,000?

You might get upsold for more because their website states: “The investment for a typical publishing project with us is between $4,000 and $6,000.” That’s ridiculous!!

You have to fill out a long form online so they can then contact you with their sales pitch. According to the Independent Publishing Magazine, “authors must pay for initial consultation and they don’t publish their prices on their website.” Also: “Royalties are low when compared to some self-publishing services.”

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Westbow Press: $4,989.00

ALERT! This is another Author Solutions company!! Read more in the iUniverse listing above. 

Read NUMEROUS complaints about Westbow Press HERE, and HERE, and HERE.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has issued a “watchdog advisory” about Westbow Press.

Westbow Press is also now listed with Covenant Books. See: COMPLAINTS about Covenant Books AND Christian Faith Publishing

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Spark Press / GoSparkPress.com: $10,000

Will only publish books up to 100,000 words. That ridiculous price is all you need to know about this firm.

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THESE FIRMS WERE ON THIS LIST IN PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT THEY BIT THE DUST IN THE PAST YEAR:

Mill City Press: OUT OF BUSINESS

This firm was sold to the owners of Xulon Press (Salem Authors Press / Salem Author Services / Salem Media Group), which is directly below on this list. They also own MCP Books and XP Books. Another division is Hillcrest Media.

Their website is now dead.

We found this in one of their press releases online: “Salem also closed the books on its publishing business. The company reported it didn’t have any publishing revenue during Q3 after it closed the sale of its self-publishing business Salem Author Services on July 1. The filing shows the unit was sold for $100,000, with Salem taking a $1.2 million loss on the deal.”

However, no mention is made of which company they sold their publishing businesses to. It appears whoever that is decided not to resurrect those businesses.

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Xulon Press: OUT OF BUSINESS

The owner of this company also owned Mill City Press (see above), which is also out of business.  

As of 6/10/26, this company’s entire website now only has their logo, phone number, and email address on each page. WritersWeekly reached out to Xulon Press (via email) AND their parent company, Salem Media Group (via their online contact form), and we haven’t heard back from either one. 

The Better Business Bureau has Xulon Press listed as out of business. 

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Amazon KDP (previously CreateSpace): N/A for publishing services but…

Read NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about Amazon KDP HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, and HERE, and HERE, and HERE, and HERE. Recent controversies involve Amazon KDP terminating their authors’ accounts with vague or no excuses at all, and KEEPING THEIR AUTHORS’ UNPAID ROYALTIES!

FOR SERVICES, they refer authors to third party companies that are either too expensive, or that have no prices on their websites at all.

READ THIS: Authors Are Moving to BookLocker After Amazon KDP Randomly Terminated Their Accounts

Amazon’s publishing division may sound great because their books appear on Amazon. However, books by ALL of the publishers listed on this page appear on Amazon. Amazon does not give preferential listings to their KDP authors. In fact, there are PLENTY of complaints by their own KDP authors online! 

• Amazon’s KDP publishing division does not offer formatting/design services to authors. You have to pay someone else to do it, or you have to try to do it yourself in their convoluted, confusing system.
• KDP authors do NOT get free marketing (or any special perks at all).
• Amazon has zero incentive to make it easy for other retailers to purchase their authors’ books.
• Many retailers and libraries flat refuse to buy books published by Amazon because they have published SO MANY horrible books on the market.
• Amazon will publish pretty much anything and everything that comes over the e-transom. That means your book will be associated with horrible writing and, when that occurs, bad formatting and printing. Amazon even published a book that taught pedophiles how to groom their victims. So, think very carefully before choosing a publisher – any publisher – before making a commitment, especially one that will publish anything.

88% of their ratings on Trust Pilot are for only 1 star! Read those reviews HERE.

EPISODE 43: 16 Possible Reasons Why Amazon KDP Permanently Closed Your Account (But they won’t tell YOU why you were banned!!) – Approximately 90% of banned Amazon KDP accounts never get reinstated!

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Draft2Digital

For human design services, refers authors to a third-party service that costs $2,999. And, you should review NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about Draft2Digital HERE and HERE. Draft2Digital contacted us through Facebook, saying the quotes at that first link below were “taken out of context.” Each quote has a link to the entire complaint, which, in our opinion, makes Draft2Digital look far worse!

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Ingram Spark: N/A for publishing services but…

Does not offer formatting/design services, and refers authors to a variety of third-party services for that, which cost THOUSANDS. Complaints about Ingram Spark are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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Lulu: N/A for publishing services but…

Lulu refers authors to companies like Bublish and BookLaunchers, which charge upwards of $9,000! 

Lulu will still print and list your book, of course, but…

• At the Better Business Bureau, their customer rating is only 1.57 OUT OF 5 STARS.
• There have been 36 COMPLAINTS in just the past 3 years. 

ALERT: Lulu is in partnership with Author Solutions. (See the iUniverse listing near the top of this page for more about that firm.)

Lulu has a lot of angry authors!

Read numerous complaints about Lulu HERE, HERE, HERE. HERE, and HERE.

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***Prices above are based on the least expensive package offered by each publisher on similar offers targeting U.S. authors. Fees include black-and-white-interior print formatting (based on a 200-page book) with up to 50 interior photos/graphics (BookLocker allows up to 50 graphics in print books at no extra charge), original color cover design (some firms above only offer template covers with these packages while all BookLocker covers are original and unique) with up to 5 images on those covers (BookLocker does not have a cover image limit).

Prices also include a print proof, basic ebook formatting and distribution to the top four ebook retailers (some have distribution limitations, and some may charge more for ebooks with complex formatting), Espresso edition (not all above offer this), an ISBN for all editions, barcode, a listing on the publisher’s website, distribution by Ingram, the largest book distributor, and feedback on your cover if submitting your own (some above don’t offer this, or won’t give you a discount if you are submitting your own cover), all within 6 weeks. Some firms above offer “free copies” in their packages but, if you look at the high prices of those packages, you’ll see that handful of “free” copies are anything but free. Authors would do better signing up for a less expensive service, and then purchasing copies at their author discount.

BEWARE! Some of the firms on this page (NOT BookLocker!) appear to have everything you need in their publishing packages. However, authors learn later that imperative services cost extra. Some of these companies are masters at upselling authors. 

IMPORTANT: Many of the firms above don’t offer rush/expedited publishing services. BookLocker usually publishes a print book within a month – at no additional charge. BookLocker also offers a rush 2-week print publishing program for an additional $350, which is still less than all of the other firms’ “regular” packages above. The 2-week program is also eligible for the $150 Discount Code offered to WritersWeekly readers. You can sign up RIGHT HERE, and use this discount code when checking out to get your $150 discount: WritersWeeklyReader

NOTE: Many companies offer perks that others don’t and some try to upsell authors on extraneous services during the publishing process. Study each publisher and contract carefully before making your choice.

To see additional complaints about print on demand/publishing service firms, click HERE.

IMPORTANT: WritersWeekly readers get a $150 discount off when publishing with BookLocker! You can sign up with BookLocker RIGHT HERE, and use this discount code when checking out to get your $150 discount: WritersWeeklyReader

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?

Angela is not only the publisher of WritersWeekly.com. She is President & CEO of BookLocker.com,
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.

ASK ANGELA!

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